Synopsis:
With six drink abandon the residents of Riverside
enjoy the last days of humanity.
Excerpt:
Akana lived alone at the
top of Water Street, right across the street from where the forest
had taken over the northerly part of town. Occasionally, and for one
reason only, Akana walked over the chipped sidewalks and through the
undergrowth to see what he might see.
What he might see, as anyone who walks through these places knows, is nothing. There is nothing there. There are old houses which have been pilfered long ago for anything that may be of any value. Anything that could be removed like stoves, or stained glass or wiring or pipes had made its way to Admiral Fish's place long long ago. Anything that was useful or pretty like a pan or plate or wall hanging had been distributed all over the remain houses at the bottom of the peninsula.
The old parts of town do
not hold secrets and they do not hold curiosities. They do not hold
dangers.
These old places are
places that the forest has reacquired, because these places were on
loan from the forest to begin with. These places only hold shadows,
and no questions. There are birds and small forest creatures
inhabiting the quiet nooks now. Only very occasionally would Akana
find it worth the trek into the forest. These were only times when
the summer weather grew warm enough to seek out shade. These times
have happened less and less over the years. And from his house, Akana
can see the forest, the slow moving creature filled with millions of
little parts, consuming the world.
Unlike most of his
neighbors, Akana did not keep much in his house. He did not choose to
live alone, and at various points he has had others living with him.
But now, after Weird Howard, there has not been cause or reason to
have a roommate.
Most of the houses are
opulent now, furnished with the finest things. Akana, however, chose
to keep little in the way of furnishings or personal affects. This
was not a design, not one that had been conscious. It happened
gradually. It happened because of a book he had read. The book had
suggested that those with big castellated homes filled with things
will rarely get out into the community and meet neighbors or have any
close or lasting relationships.
Despite best efforts,
Akana did not have many close friendships. He had a few folks who
would gladly share a meal with him, but no one wanted to linger on in
his house afterward. He avoided the larger pow-wows. Only the annual
Cider Fest captured his imagination. And that was only probably due
to the six drink abandon which happened at the same time.
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